Favorite Live Shows of 2007

November 30, 2007

I had so much fun making my Favorite Live Shows of 2006 list that I decided to do it again this year. I’ve seen more amazing live shows this year than I ever have before, but it was these 15 that stood out. Make to sure to follow the read more… link to see the whole list, and visit Pictures For Kids Who Can’t Read Good to check out all my concert pictures from this year. If you’re looking for the full reviews check the left sidebar under “Live Freak Gasoline Fight Accidents”. Enjoy!

15. Hot Freaks presents: The Rosebuds/St. Vincent Club Deville/Mohawk Lounge (Austin)

Picture by Frank from Chromewaves

Those bloggers sure know how to put on a fantastic show. I don’t remember too much from the night (care to guess why?) except that I met Annie Clark and Kelly Crisp after the show and at one point I attempted to dance onstage (note the picture above for photographic proof).

14. The Mountain Goats/Bowerbirds Canopy Club (Urbana)

I’m very much looking forward to Heretic Pride in February. The new songs came off great live.

13. Of Montreal/Grand Buffet/MGMT Canopy Club (Urbana)

I don’t think it’s possible not to be entertained at an Of Montreal show. Even though it didn’t quite compare to the epic Pitchfork Fest performance, it still was an extremely enjoyable night.

12. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s/Page France/Headlights/Canada Courtyard Café (Urbana)

I like every band on this line-up and seeing them all together was a wonderful thing. That being said, it was Page France that really came through with their performance to make this show awesome.

11. Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew’s Spirit If… Canopy Club (Urbana)

An incredibly odd and memorable show. Made me appreciate the Kevin Drew solo album much more and re-acquaint myself with some of my favorite BSS tunes. Encoring with “It’s All Gonna Break” nearly 20 minutes after their set officially ended was amazing.

Click the below link to see my top ten!

10. Jose Gonzalez Courtyard Cafe (Urbana)

An extremely intimate and lovely show. José played all my favorites including his covers of “Hand on my Heart”, “Teardrops”, and “Heartbeats”.

9. The Pipettes/Smoosh Empty Bottle (Chicago)

When describing a The Pipettes show I can’t help but think of the classic line from Michael Cera: “What a fun, sexy time for you”.

8. Andrew Bird/Marla Hansen Krannert Center (Urbana)

I’ve seen Andrew Bird four times and this stands out as the best. His one-man show full of rarites and fan-favorites allowed him to display all his musical quirks and humor.

7. Owen/Bound Stems/Yeasayer/Foundry Field Recordings/Headlights Various Venues (Champaign/Urbana)

The Pygmalion Fest closing day line-up was one of the most diverse and interesting I’ve experienced. The night introduced me to the awesome Bound Stems, increased my affection for Yeasayer, brought solid performances from Owen and Foundry Field Recordings, and gave me a sneak peek at Headlight’s new album, Some Racing, Some Stopping.

6. Sunset Rubdown/We Will Eat Rats to Survive Empty Bottle (Chicago)

Sunset Rubdown were everything I’d hope they be live. Their songs was raw and intense, stripped to the core and played with more urgency than I could imagine. The band killed on all the songs from Random Spirit Lover, and I gained a new appreciation for album after hearing it live.

5. Okkervil River/Damien Jurado/Catfish Haven/Early Day Miners Canopy Club (Pygmalion Fest)

Secretly Canadien and Jagaguwar combined forces for the Pygmalion Fest opening party creating one of the best concert experience of the year. Okkervil River was the obvious highlight, playing an extremely energetic set and immersing themselves completely in the music. They truly left it all on stage, especially with the completely brilliant encore of “President’s Dead”, “John Allyn Smith Sails”, and “Last Love Song for Now”.

4. Sleeping At Last The Warehouse (Peoria)

Picture by Ty Silzer

Otherwise known as the concert that where I proposed to Celeste (read about it here). It’s hard to rate this concert on a list since I hardly remember anything about the actual show except waiting nervously for the part in the song “Umbrellas” when I took out ring and asked Celeste to marry me. I have to give Sleeping At Last credit though for providing me with the perfect soundtrack for popping the question and for giving us a shout-out afterwards in their set.

3. Pitchfork Fest Union Park (Chicago)

Pitchfork Fest is always a great weekend of music, and this year was no exception. Of Montreal’s bizarre and incredibly entertaining set was one of my favorite concert moments of the year. Dan Deacon’s brief set was ridiculously awesome. Iron & Wine was gorgeous. Battles blew my mind. Such good times!

2. The Arcade Fire/Electrane Chicago Theatre (Chicago)

I don’t think it would be an understatement to say that Arcade Fire provided the best single concert I’ve ever seen in my life. The band opened with “Wake Up”, closed with “Tunnels”, and in between provided a couple hours of the most amazing music I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. It set in stone the placement of the Arcade Fire as my favorite band.

1. Austin City Limits Zilker Park (Austin)

Although Arcade Fire wins for best single show of the year, Austin City Limits was the best weekend of music that I can imagine. I’ve never seen so many mind-blowing shows in such a short period of time, and I soaked it all on seeing as many bands as I possibly could. There were so many bands that played that I had never seen before and I count among my favorites and my expectations were exceeded time and time again. The biggest highlights for me were Wilco, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Manchester Orchestra, Spoon, Bloc Party, and of course, the visual extravaganza that was Muse. I have no doubt I’ll be talking about this year’s Austin City Limits for years to come.

Selected MP3’s:

MP3 Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
MP3 Sunset Rubdown – Us Ones In Between
MP3 Of Montreal – She’s A Rejector
MP3 Andrew Bird – Why?
MP3 Sleeping At Last – Umbrellas
MP3 Yeasayer – 2080
MP3 Kevin Drew – Lucky Ones
MP3 Muse – Plug In Baby
MP3 Jose Gonzalez – Teardrop
MP3 Okkervil River – John Allyn Smith Sails

Posted by Taylor in Lists, Live